A TSN broadcast on Monday prompted the accusatory tweets, when during live coverage of the NHL trade deadline a streaming tweet feed displayed a message by a viewer that Lupul was having sex with Cuthbert. The two hockey players and Cuthbert’s attorneys Gall Legge Grant & Munroe LLP released this statement on Tuesday:

On behalf of our clients Dion Phaneuf, his wife Elisha Cuthbert and Joffrey Lupul, we have sent a letter to TSN demanding that TSN issue a formal apology and pay a significant amount of damages to each of our clients for broadcasting a false and defamatory tweet during their trade deadline show yesterday. We are sending a similar letter to the author of the tweet, Mr. Anthony Adragna.

In a string of Instagram messages between Lupul and Adragna, Lupul said that he would be happy to “fight him anywhere anytime for charity.”

Tuesday night TSN issued an on-air apology to them during SportsCentre and the Leafs’ game at the Florida Panthers. James Duthie, who hosted the trade deadline show released the statement:

Yesterday when TSN was reporting on the NHL trade deadline it displayed a scrolling ticker of tweets from the public. In spite of TSN’s protocols to prevent unfounded and inappropriate tweets from making it to air, a false, and inappropriate tweet was allowed to run. There was no basis for the false allegation made in this tweet. TSN unreservedly apologizes to Joffrey Lupul, Dion Phaneuf and Elisha Cuthbert and regrets any embarrassment this unfortunate incident has caused to them.